A man knocks at the door, steps in and declares that he is Åke, the eldest son of Albert. Albert hasn't seen him since he was a baby, and Herbert has never heard about any elder brother. Albert is happy and makes Åke a partner of the family firm. It turns out that Åke is work-shy and in great need of money. Herbert thinks he is just a parasite and leaves the family firm to start a scrap business of his own.

Every summer Albert and Herbert have spent their holiday in Varberg, a seaside town not far away from Gothenburg. This summer Herbert will spend his holiday on his own. He will go to a tourist resort in the Mediterranean area, where he can meet other young people and perhaps find a girl-friend. Albert wants to spend his holiday as usual with Herbert in Varberg. He has to think out a clever way to drive this through.

Albert and Herbert play cards when two bank robbers on the run suddenly burst into the apartment. When the robbers find out that Albert and Herbert haven't got any money, food, telephone connection or car, they feel trapped and become menacing. The younger of them starts to complain about the inconvenience of being on the run with an old and slow companion. Herbert recognizes this as being the same as his own problem. Albert defends the old robber angrily, and suddenly the situation has turned into a conflict between the generations.

Albert's and Herbert's old horse Herkules drops dead when drawing the scrap-wagon along the streets. When Herbert tells the sad news to Albert, the latter falls into a depression. Albert was present when the horse was born 38 years ago and they have been together all those years. Herbert buys a new horse, but Albert won't even take a look at it. For him there can never be another horse in his life beside Herkules.